Picton–Battersby line
Picton–Battersby line | |
---|---|
![]() Looking south east from the former Potto railway station onto the formation of the Whorlton branch | |
Overview | |
Status | Closed |
Locale | North Yorkshire |
Termini |
|
Stations | 7 |
Service | |
Type | Heavy Rail |
Operator(s) | North Yorkshire & Cleveland Railway North Eastern Railway London North Eastern Railway British Rail |
History | |
Opened | March 1857 to Stokesley April 1858 to Kildale |
Closed | June 1954 to passengers August 1965 completely |
Technical | |
Line length | 12.5 miles (20.1 km)[1] |
Number of tracks | 1 as built, later dualled |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
Picton–Battersby Line | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The Picton–Battersby line was a railway line running from
History
Construction
The line was constructed by the
The NY&C was incorporated into the
Stations
There were seven stations on the Picton to Battersby section of the NY&C.
- Picton
- Picton is the station at which the line met the Leeds Northern's route between Northallerton and Stockton, which is now the Northallerton–Eaglescliffe line. The station closed in 1960, but the stationmaster's house still survives.
- Trenholme Bar
- One of the original stations upon opening in 1857, the station closed along with passenger traffic in 1954. The station was situated on a level crossing with the old A19 single carriageway. The stationmaster's house survives but most of the site was taken up by the A19 dual carriageway upgrade in the early 1970s.
- Potto
- Serving the village of Potto, the station was open from 1857 to 1954. It was the last station before the branch to Whorlton mines, receiving two daily shipments of ironstone. The station building survives as a private residence and business premises.[4]
- Sexhow
- Served the village of Sexhow from 1857 to 1954. The station building survives.
- Stokesley
- The last of the original stations opened in 1857, Stokesley closed in 1954 along with the rest of the passenger traffic. Closed to freight in 1965. The station building survives, after being well restored by a firm of architects. Stokesley station featured comprehensively in the BTF production "A farmer moves south" and is therefore one of the best documented of the closed rural stations.[5]
- Ingleby
- This station served the village of Ingleby Greenhow from 1858 to 1954. The station building remains.
- Battersby
- Originally called Ingleby Junction in 1858, then Battersby Junction from 1878, before finally becoming Battersby in 1893, the station is the only one on the line to remain in use, as part of the Esk Valley line.
Whorlton branch
A 2 miles (3.2 km) branch to the ironstone mines at Ailesbury and Swainby left the line southwards after Potto station. This was opened with the initial section of the line and forwarded two ironstone trains per day to the furnaces on Teesside.[6] The mines were exhausted in 1887 and the branch was closed in 1892.[7]
Closure
When the freight from the mines ceased, the passenger services along the Picton–Battersby and
Battersby station (originally Ingleby Junction, later Battersby Junction in 1878, and its current name from 1893) and the line to Grosmont remain as part of the Esk Valley line.
References
- OCLC 8890833.
- ISSN 0033-8923.
- ^ Suggitt 2005, p. 62.
- ^ Whitlock, Mike. "Potto Station Links". Potto Station. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ^ a b Burgess 2011, p. 8.
- ISBN 9781445606453.
- ^ Mell, Ken. "Stokesley". Disused Stations. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
Bibliography
- Burgess, Neil (2011). The lost railways of Yorkshire's North Riding. Stenlake. ISBN 978-1-84033-555-2.
- Suggitt, Gordon (2005). Lost Railways of North & East Yorkshire. Countryside Books. ISBN 978-1-85306-918-5.